Every property owner knows there are risks that come with owning real estate. If you have experienced fire or water damage to your home or office, you know what is at stake. Jim Black Construction can help with that loss from start to finish.
"I've been in business 30 years and I'm a family owned business and I started the business myself as a carpenter wearing a tool belt, doing my own work," Black said.
His company has grown to 25 employees but is still dedicated to its customers.
"We treat all our customers with respect and integrity and we're an ethical business as well."
Customers nominated the company for the Better Business Bureau's Torch Award, which honors marketplace ethics. Out of 400 companies nominated, Jim Black was one of three finalists two years straight.
"I've always prided myself on doing things ethically and correct and there's no reason that you can't provide a quality product to a customer and still be profitable business and I think that's very important today," Black said.
Jim attributes his company's professionalism and outstanding reputation to his staff.
"I have over 150 years of combined field experience with my field personnel. We pride ourselves on the highest quality and workmanship. My project managers have construction management degrees and they're really knowledgeable on all the software systems that we use as estimating programs. There's one in particular that's used and it's called EXactoimate. We essentially blueprint the house and then by the blueprint we're able to identify specifically in the estimate what needs to be fixed and or replaced in the home or business."
"We're also a certified firm with the IICRC and that stands for the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification. It's a nationally recognized company to raise the industry standards for technical proficiency."
Jim Black cautions that other restoration contractors try to get people to sign contracts quickly after a disaster.
"I think it's really important that you take your time, you evaluate your situation. Do the research on the companies you're interested in. Do the background, and look at the company and make sure they're a good, solid, ethical company. Know their licenses. Are they properly insured, do they carry workman's compensation, and what are their references like, who have they worked for, can you talk directly to people that have in fact had that specific thing performed for them."
Jim Black Construction serves the great Denver Metro area but is also licensed to do work in Colorado Springs and Fort Collins.
The company has several types of clients.
"A lot of our clients are residential home owners that have had for instance a major water or fire loss. We do commercial building owners. Property management companies. We even work closely with a couple major universities in the state."
As a full service insurance restoration contractor, Jim Black Construction has a specific plan for each loss.
"Essentially there's three phases, if you will, to the restoration business and the first one would be an emergency response. It's something that we offer 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We also offer a 90 minute response time."
The emergency response phase focuses on safety for people near the structure and helps protect the building from further damage.
"Those types of services that are included in an emergency restoration is like water and sewer extraction. We do environmental testing and assessment. We make sure we stabilize and check the electrical, the gas and water. We do structural shoring as well, for like a business or home that got impacted by a vehicle, by a major fire and it's structurally unsafe. We board up windows and doors as well as do temporary fencing around an unsafe structure. You want to make sure the structure is not only safe but children can't get into it, vandals can't approach it.
When done properly, the mitigation phase can save time and money for the insured.
"The second phase is mitigation and it's typically water, sewer and mold and the type of services that would be provided in that are structural drying, set commercial dehumidifiers. We do infrared thermography. It's state-of-the-art investigation for water penetration. It enables you to essentially have X-Ray vision so to speak and be able to look into wall cavities. It's essential that you use the proper equipment. It is critical to prevent secondary damage such as mold, cross contamination of mold, structural integrity."
For the final restoration, Jim Black's experienced crews can deliver the full package.
"We do demolition, framing, we do all the specialty items too like plumbing, electrical, heating, cooling. We do audio, video,…as well. We even have our own staff that does our kitchens, our cabinets, all our custom trim and doors. If you have a major fire loss like the one we're talking about now, you work closely with my company and my superintendent and project managers to achieve your final goal and get a final product that you're really proud of and you're happy with."
At the end of each project, Jim Black's primary concern is customer satisfaction.
"What we really try to do at Jim Black construction is, I want a customer to, when we're completed with a job, I want them to be happy. A home or a business is extremely important. We carry a full one year warranty on all our workmanship as well as all the product warrantees that go along with it, whether it's roofing or windows, carpeting, appliances. I want a customer to be glad that they used Jim Black construction."